Wednesday, January 31, 2018

AN OLDER WOMAN came into the store yesterday morning. She asked for me and said she’d inherited a large album collection from her brother, and she wanted to have me go through her hand written list and tell her the value of each album.

Sheryl tried to politely steer her toward eBay to research it herself as we are not an appraisal service of any kind.

“I don’t have a computer,” the woman sniffed.

Sheryl said the Quincy Public Library had resources and employees willing to help her learn and
navigate the web. That’s when she got really snippy and started cursing under her breath, so Sheryl just watched as she stormed out. Sheryl was helpless to even have a conversation about the ease of the world wide web.

Rodney's computer. LOL

The woman was willfully ignorant and simply didn’t want to have anything to do with technology. To someone like Sheryl who is super-fluent in computers, networks and the interne, that can be very hard to comprehend.

Some people, like me, are just more comfortable with less technology. I can navigate on a computer and right now I’m using my iPad with a wireless keyboard, and I feel like I’m finally entering the 20th century. Also, I have a cell phone, but I use it to make and receive phone calls, and maybe a text once in a while, and that’s it.

Technology can be intimating and even frightening. I’m at the end of the Baby Boomers generation and I grew up without computers and cell phones, and I turned out fine. Well. Fine is subject to debate. Maybe I just lived to tell about it. Didn't we all survive our childhoods somehow?

If you can still get by without a cell phone and a computer, more power to you.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

I WAS A sports guy for 10 years and saw a lot of amazing things. I can still remember the ends of games from 30 years ago. That's the thing about sports - you never know what might happen.

Last Tuesday night I was at The Whig working the desk and we heard about one of our teams, Marion County, being in a close game at Atlanta. They are both small schools in Missouri. The final score was 51-50 for Marion County, and our sports part-timer chasing down game results, D.T. Christiansen, called the Marion County coach.

All we heard was D.T. saying "Really?" and "Wow!" and "You must have invented the triangle defense." Then D.T. hung up the phone and said, "You won't believe this, but Marion County won the game with just two players."

Two players?

Turns out Marion County had just six players dressed for the game, and four of them fouled out in the final three minutes. That left only two players, and Marion County still managed to win.

I'm going to give D.T. some love here, because he's a Quincy University student who really busts his tail and goes after it when he works the desk. He wrote a good story with a classic lead, and it's still the fifth-most viewed story on whig.com a week later.

Other media picked up on it too, and the video is featured here on the MaxPreps website.

As you can see in the the MaxPreps video, the Marion County player gets the ball at the end of the game, dribbles against five guys, and gets fouled as he drives to the rim. Then he sinks the free throw for the winning point.

Check out the crowd after Atlanta heaves a long shot as the game ends. The game was in Atlanta, and the home fans can't believe what they are seeing.

Sports, as in life, subscribes to the time-tested saying of "You Can't Make It Up." Even when you are down to just two players.

Friday, January 26, 2018

SHERYL HAS A serious drinking problem. She constantly spills on one of her favorite shirts. This is a huge issue, especially when she's drinking coffee or hot chocolate from Electric Fountain Brewing.

Ryan, Tom and Grace at EFB make an awesome hot chocolate. They even make it half-sweet for Sheryl. There is a problem with lack of marshmallows, but I solved that today by buying a bag and bringing it to them. So now they have marshmallows, and make sure you ask for them specifically when ordering.

Sheryl's long-sleeved flannel shirt is a "graduated color" scheme. It's lighter on top and drops down to dark teal. She spills coffee or hot chocolate right in the middle, accenting the graduating colors. Every. Single. Time. She. Wears. It.

"I can't figure out why I always spill stuff on this shirt," she said. "I bought it with four other shirts. I never spill anything on them. Only on this one. If you can figure it out, you would be solving one of the mysteries of the universe. Please, let me know."

Perhaps the shirt has a secret magnetic force attracting liquid. For instance, I had an awesome Central Michigan University long-sleeve T shirt that I always spilled stuff on. In my case, it was usually lemonade. Ahem. It got pretty bad and I eventually threw it away, and I NEVER throw away T-shirts.

Sheryl really likes this shirt. She looks good in it. It's comfortable. At least it's never thirsty, since she always spills on it.

So why is it this shirt and this shirt alone so prone to spilling? Is it mental? Is it just random spilling? Maybe it's a law of nature that says, "I will spill on this shirt and only this shirt, for no reason at all."

We'll go with the last explanation. I gotta go get more hot chocolate, with marshmallows. And maybe back to the house to get Sheryl a different shirt.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

DON CRIM IS retiring Friday after nearly 40 years at The Herald-Whig. He was my boss for 16 years. He was tough but fair and he expected full effort and excellence, and he didn't tolerate mediocrity.

He will be sorely missed.

D.C. with the priorities in life!

I replaced him as sports editor at The Whig in 1996. "We want another Don Crim," the bosses said. "Sure, no problem," I said. Right. I killed myself for 2 1/2 years and didn't even come close. Much of my failings as sports editor were because of my own issues, but there was no way I could match what Don did.

When I became a staff writer in 1999, he was the city editor. He convinced me to take the job. Don was not the type to regularly pat you on the back, but he let you do the job and if you screwed up you had to answer to him.

I am not sure why he's retiring, but my guess is that he's enjoying his days as a grandfather. He was the managing editor for a long time and promoted three years ago to executive editor, and they are high-stress jobs with lots of fires to put out and responsibilities.

His wife, Peggy, the former City of Quincy treasurer, also recently retired, so they will obviously ride off into the sunset together. Peggy's famous line is "Dammit Donnie!" So much so it's become his name - "Dammit Donnie, you nailed that putt" and "Dammit Donnie why haven't you mowed the grass?"

He was a prolific writer when he was in sports and I bet he'd still write circles around anybody over there now. If The Whig was smart they'd hire him to write a weekly column.

Now he can hang out with the grandkids and chase that ball around Cedar Crest without worrying about the stress and tension waiting for him at Fifth and Jersey. I hope he comes around to Fifth and Maine on warm Friday afternoons for a little sanity, Bud Light and happy hours. It would be great to play a little golf again with him this summer, too.

Best of luck, D.C. You are an icon at The Whig and there will never be anybody like you.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

WE HAD THE house locks changed and new keys made today. Sheryl called our friends at A-1 Security and Chuck came out to the house, expertly dismantled the door knobs and latches, made new keys and put them back in, all in about half an hour. He even fixed some wonky latches that only needed small adjustments to work better. Who knew!

We've come to know A-1 because we've changed more than a few locks in our Second String Music building. Having good locks on the doors means peace of mind, something you can't put a price on, and A-1 is really easy to work with and gets it done quickly and affordably.

Sheryl found a bunch of keys in various drawers and hiding places. It's amazing how they accumulate. She gave them to Chuck, who promised to recycle them. It always feels better when you declutter and recycle. See? This whole getting new keys thing just keeps getting better and better.

Take a good hard look at your key ring. Do you have a bunch of keys on there that serve no purpose? The more keys you have, the more complicated your life is. I have nine keys on my ring. They are for the scooter, house, garage, shed and store. Oh, and for The Whig.

Wait a second ... what the heck is this skinny key right here? It might be for an old bike lock, now that I think about it, and I resolve to figure it out soon. Maybe. Probably not.

There is also a trusty Ibanez bottle opener on my key ring. Hey, you never know when you might get stranded on a Lake Michigan beach and need it.

We recommend A-1 if you need new keys or have security concerns. They are good people, local, and they care. And that, my friends, is the key to any business!

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

THREE AMEREN GUYS came in this morning and I took them to the basement of our Fifth and Maine building. They were fascinated by the old electrical boxes and telephone wire boards.

There were a lot of words thrown around like "4-wire" and "3-phase power" and "how the heck would we ever run this to an outside meter." They were fascinated by the way the boxes were hooked up and the conduits that presumably go from the basement to the roof housing the wires.

They could basically tell how how old the boxes were by the material. The box with the "Bedford Dance" designation leads to the third floor and dates to the 1970s. Another box leads to the second floor and is circa mid-1980s, when WGCA operated in the corner studio space.

One of them opened a box and went "Wow!" That means it's really old and has some ancient tubes, wires and and other thingies in it. They explained what it meant but it was beyond me, other than the fact this building was constructed in 1895 and there's a lot of old stuff in it, including the owner.

The stories this old gal could tell!

I could have taken them to the upper floors and show them the E.E. Brown signature. He inspected the building in 1925 or so and left his name to prove it, written in pencil inside a closet by a long-gone electrical panel. Same goes for the guy who installed the 1920 Hollister-Whitney elevator - his name is written by the motor near the roof entrance. Crap. I can't remember the name and I'm not climbing five stories to refresh my feeble memory.

The point is, there's a ton of history in here and Ameren employees can tell what it is. One of the guys said they used to have a key to the basement to check the meters, and he remembered a guy who "had an office down here." That was in the old bank safe, still used and leased out to a local genealogical society.

I think the Ameren guys enjoyed the trip down memory lane. An old building has its share of challenges, but we wouldn't trade it for any other location - she's still standing proud and still tells stories, one electrical box at a time.

Monday, January 22, 2018

AN OLD FAMILY friend, Abe DeVries, passed away a few weeks ago. Abe and my dad were friends for years. He was a big guy who wrestled professionally as "The Flying Dutchman" before getting into the car sales business. He was involved in a number of different business ventures over the years but it always came back to selling vehicles, and I loved the guy.

I bought my first car from Abe in 1985. After several years of driving the family vehicles, which included a Dodge Dart and a massive station wagon (think the Family Truckster in Metallic Pea from the movie Vacation), I bit the bullet and bought a tiny Dodge Colt from Abe. It was about seven years old, had a stick shift and cost about $900. I didn't know how to drive a stick, and I can remember stalling it on the East Beltline driving to work one cold and snowy day in March.

Hey. If you are gonna learn, you might as well learn as a bunch of pissed off Grand Rapids drivers are flying by you.

My old Colt looked just like this one.

I loved that little car. I took it to Mount Pleasant for my first year of school at Central Michigan University. But it got cold and the gas line froze and it didn't work again until my roommate, Marty Horjus, somehow towed it with his car to a mechanic, who thawed it out and got it running. I got it back and it froze again. So I waited until it warmed up.

Then I got done with my first year at CMU, packed up my stuff and drove back to Grand Rapids. I pulled into the driveway at 2355 Rosewood, and I heard a massive CLUNK. The wheel well rusted out and the entire front end caved in. I couldn't believe it. We drove it to a couple of mechanics, and they just shrugged and said they couldn't fix it, and it was too dangerous to drive.

So my dad and I towed it to junkyard off of US 131 in Walker, a northern Grand Rapids suburb. The owner gave me $20 and hubcabs for the family station wagon. Twenty freaking dollars! I had just moved in with five buddies to a big house at Sigsbee and Giddings near Eastown. I bought a case of beer, and we sat on the porch, and they watched me cry.

I learned my lesson with my car, so I bought a nice Schwinn bike instead and I rode it the next two years of college. When I graduated, I bought a new Ford Festiva. It was just as tiny as the Colt. I had a friend install a stereo system and I thought I was hot stuff.

After that, it was Jeeps and Hondas, then two Impalas, and now we are back to a Jeep. We are a one-vehicle family. But .... if there are any old Colts out there ....

Friday, January 19, 2018

OUR FRIENDS AT Krazy Cakes, located around the corner, posted a Facebook status the other day asking for input about the lack of parking. The businesses there are frustrated because it’s two-hour parking on Hampshire, but many of the employees (specifically at WGEM) seem to park on the street all day and suck up the open spots.

Hmm. Sounds familiar. We, of course, are infamous for our parking wars, and yesterday QPD wrote seven more tickets on Maine between Fifth and Sixth after Sheryl meticulously listed each vehicle, took a photo, and called the cops two hours later. They responded right away and took care of it, and we appreciate it.

There was a healthy debate on the Facebook post about parking, but the one thing that really irks me is when people say they won’t come down here because they can’t find a spot. Really? You aren’t going to support an amazing and small local business like Krazy Cakes because you have to walk a 1/2 a block to get in?

Try going to WalMart or any big box on Broadway, and see how close you can get. The perception is that you are close, while down here our doors are much smaller and you seem further away.

I guarantee 95 percent of the time you’ll get within a block of Second String Music. Ask us about our special valet parking or curb side delivery. And support your small and local businesses, the lifeblood of our local economy and great way of life in Quincy.

We seem to harp on this all the time but we ARE small business. We know how much your business means to all of us trying to serve our community by staying in our small businesses. We truly do appreciate your efforts to get here and shop local.

Imagine that. A pastor coming from a shithole country like the Netherlands, not speaking the language, having his kids suck on the Canadian governments teat. And what a wild and unruly bunch of kids they were, not at all successful later in life. They didn’t become lawyers, pastors, inventors, painters, artists, philosophers, family men.

Wait. They did. See? They overcame their shithole roots. Those whacky Dutch.... always being conquered by their neighbors, letting soldiers wear long hair, and skating everywhere on frozen dikes. They must have horrible traffic there because I’m always reading about red lights in Amsterdam.

I was born in Philadelphia, PA, where my father was a seminary student. We moved a year later to Nova Scotia, then Montreal, then London, Ontario. My two brothers and sisters were born in Canada. My mother was a U.S. citizen.

In 1980, we moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. My father got a job with the Christian Reformed Church. The church helped with the move, and my father got me Canadian citizenship before we left. My adopted brother, Greg, had to get a green card, along with my dad, but because my mother was a U.S. citizen, my other siblings were already dual citizens and didn’t need one.

When we crossed the border at Port Huron, U.S. officials stopped us and told my father we couldn’t bring in our dented and ancient Dodge Dart because it didn’t have a catalytic converter. They told him to turn around and sell it in Canada. So my dad paced around, faked a couple of calls to a congressman, and finally said, “Well, you have seven of us here and we are sleeping on the benches until you let us in.”

They let us in and warned him he’d be fined if he didn’t fix the catalytic converter. My dad eventually got a letter stating as such, but our elected officials told him to ignore it. Good thing my sister rolled the stupid car and wrecked it a few years later, right?

I think my siblings are U.S. citizens automatically because my mother was one. At least I hope so. I don’t want them deported back to that shithole country called Canada.

My father eventually became a U.S. citizen. My adopted brother Greg, who died in 2002, never did, and probably never would have, and it wouldn’t have mattered. Unless he was still alive today, in our MAGA society. Is ICE deporting illegals from Canada?

I have dual citizenship. It’s recognized by Canada, but not the U.S. It doesn’t matter, because I have a U.S. passport. When I go to Canada, I just use my passport, not my Canadian papers, because it makes things easier.

Before you jump all over me for being another liberal fake news conspirator, let’s just say you can take the boy out of Holland and West Michigan and the Christian Reformed Church, but you can’t take the Dutch and West Michigan out of the boy. I’m as conservative as they come. I voted for Reagan and Bush. I don’t like people who are lazy and live off the government and bitch and moan, but never vote.

That being said, I’m from a family of immigrants. I’m proud to say so.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

HANNIBAL IS PUTTING a roundabout by the hospital. This is newsworthy for several reasons. One, Hannibal is looking ahead and being progressive and will have a roundabout before we do in Quincy. Two, people will actually have to use their turn signals.

Basically a roundabout replaces the classic four-way intersection. You can only turn right and you must yield to oncoming traffic. Twice a year I travel to Wisconsin and they have roundabouts in Sheboygan and Oshkosh. They are pretty cool and they work, though it takes a bit to get used to.

Roundabouts get rid of traffic signals, a good thing, and they improve traffic flow. They are mostly used in high traffic areas, and they are not pedestrian friendly. Also, bike lanes in roundabouts are cool but would add to the initial confusion.

There are several places roundabouts would work in Quincy, specifically out on East Broadway, State Street anywhere east of 24th Street, and a few other places like John Wood Community College.

But here’s why they may never be approved in Quincy - we are a Rocking Chair community, and as long as you don’t rock back and forth too fast or too slow, things are fine. A roundabout would slow and speed up the rocking chair at the same time. Personally, I like many aspects of our Quincy rocking chairs, but sometimes I want to throw the damn thing away and try to wake people up.

I think a roundabout at Fifth and Maine would be fascinating. We could sit on the sidewalk and watch all the traffic inch around the intersection, and listen to drivers yell at each other, and help people in wheelchairs who get squashed by people in a hurry who don’t see them. Plus, all the motorized bicycles would have a field day dodging traffic.

Wait a second ... that already happens every day at Fifth and Maine. As my niece Erin likes to say, “Neber mind.”

I have no plans to visit Hannibal’s soon to be roundabout, but I applaud the city and the residents for being progressive and applying new ways to deal with traffic. And that’s a roundabout way of saying, “Good for you!”

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Q-FEST, ORIGINALLY known as MidSummer Arts Faire, is going back to the fourth weekend in June. This year it will be June 22-23-24 in Washington Park, and we at Second String Music could not be happier.

Last year it was at the beginning of June. Organizers changed the date, in part, because they thought the weather would be a little cooler. Turned out it was hot and humid as it normally is in Quincy in early June.

Q-Fest is also partnering with Blues In The District, and there will be another street dance party with live bands on Saturday night. Geesh. A stage right in front of our building with killer bands? I think we can live with that!

We are going to encourage the Q-Fest organizers to not close down Maine Street at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon. Last year it stopped our normally busy Friday afternoon traffic in the store. It would be a huge problem for Blues in the District that night too. Hopefully they don't close the streets on Saturday either, though it will take time to setup stages and vendors. We have high hopes.

Hooray for downtown Quincy and again, what a great event and great time of year to have it in Washington Park. It’s gonna be another rocking summer down here!

Monday, January 15, 2018

ONCE AGAIN, I am in search of musical acts for various downtown Quincy events. These include the Concerts In The Plaza, Q Fest and Noon Blues shows in Washington Park. All of them are paid and the PA is provided.

Molly would rock theaccordian!

I am always looking for newer artists who want a good-paying gig without a ton of pressure. Most of these events are casual and the atmosphere is laid back, and there is no admission charge. These are probably not a good place to play your first gig, but I’ve thrown a few performers into the fire knowing they’d do fine.

Most of these are better for the solo or acoustic duo players. No tracks, please. You have to play, not do karaoke. For the Q Fest event I’ll consider a band if there isn’t too much setup involved, as we do have a good PA system and Garris Brown does an excellent job running it.

You can track me down on Facebook or call Second String Music at 217 223-8008. I’ve already started scheduling acts and the slots will fill up fast.

As always, please support live music, and show your appreciation for the many talented performers we have in our area!

Friday, January 12, 2018

TIMING IS EVERYTHING, of course. Sheryl had to run some errands yesterday morning. Big storm coming, you know. Ice, sleet, snowmaggedon, empty bread and milk shelves, all that stuff.

I had a lesson at 10:30. The young man came in early. So I said, "Let's get started. It hasn't been busy in here in the mornings. We'll be fine."

You know what that means. Two minutes later a guy comes in wanting guitar lessons, info about guitars, pedals, strings, etc. Then a gal comes in and buys a guitar. Then another gal comes in with a Christmas Project guitar (she bought it somewhere, and it doesn't work, and now we are fixing it). Then two more guitar students show up because they want to get their lessons in early due to the pending snowmaggedon. Sheryl gets back and immediately starts putting out fires and consoling poor Angus, who was sitting by the door waiting patiently for her to return.

All part of the deal in a small retail business. I like being busy and running around with my head cut off, actually. And we still had a good lesson. Of course Sheryl had to fix all my screwups when she got back, but she's used to it and doesn't complain too loudly.

So this morning Sheryl has taken our new Jeep to get serviced for a minor issue. Angus is all out of sorts - he is not used to just me being here, and he's sitting by the front door with a confused look on his face, saying, "Where is my mooooommmmmm?"

Thursday, January 11, 2018

DALE STEINKAMP IS known for many things - bus driver for the Quincy band Eleven, father of three beautiful daughters, husband of the amazing Wendy and purveyor of bad jokes about parking in downtown Quincy.

Dale also works for MS Communications. He came into the store a month ago and said he could save us a bit of money on our phone plan, AT&T specifically.

About once a week some shyster, usually from Chicago, comes in and promises us a big pot of gold and the end of the phone, electric, credit card transaction and internet rainbows. I used to listen for a minute or two. Now it’s out the door in under 30 seconds.

Anyway, Sheryl decided to listen to Dale because he’s a good guy and we had nothing to lose. Lo and behold, MS Communications found out that AT&T had been inadvertently overcharging us for years on our landline phone bill.

Today we got notice that our account will be credited with $744.23 due to charges and taxes that were incorrectly billed for the last seven years. That’s a lot of money for a small retail business, or any business.

Word of mouth is crucial in our world. Sheryl and I are beyond grateful to Dale and Nick Steinkamp. We recommend you give them a call or listen when they come in to talk about saving your business money. We don't normally recommend this type of behavior but since it is Dale, it's OK. A "Smart Review" could be very smart.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

I ENJOY WORKING a couple of nights a week at The Whig is sports. Mostly I work with the younger college guys who take game results and turn them into stories. I like seeing them improve. I also write a few recaps and once in a while type all the box score stuff in correctly.

Last Saturday night was the busiest night of the year, literally. We had more than 40 games or matches to track down and it was hectic but fun.

One of the college kids was writing a game story when Whig sports writer Matt Schuckman suggested he look up how one of the teams was ranked in the latest state poll. The young guy poked around on his computer for a while and finally said, “How do I find the rankings?”

Matt said, “They were in Thursday’s paper.” So the young man, once he was told where to find the paper, walked over and picked up the sports section.

How it used to be done. Olden days.

“How do you work this thing?” he said.

He literally did not know how to pick up a newspaper and open it up to find the agate page, or the page with the tiny writing and all the standings and schedules. Matt rolled his eyes in disgust and could hardly believe it. I said, “There’s an ‘on button’ on Page 3. Just hit it and it will pop up.’”

We had a good laugh about, and the young man eventually found what he was looking for. I am willing to bet he has almost never picked up a newspaper - why should he, when it’s all right there on his computer screen or phone? Matt had a hard time believing it - “This is a newspaper,” he said. But newspapers are becoming more and more obsolete, and by the time my run on this earth is done (good Lord willing), they’ll probably become extinct.

To cheer myself up, I’ll try to go see The Post, and also read as many newspapers and watch as much fake news as possible. As soon as I find the on button, that is.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

WE ARE NOT ones to complain about the challenges of owning a small business. We bust our butts to overcome, give our customers the best small music store experience, and most people couldn't care less about the massive property taxes we pay for our old building, or the fees associated with running a small business or becoming a big label guitar dealer.

It's all part of the bigger picture of having a fun retail music store.

But today, we're making the general public aware of credit and debit card processing fees and how big of a burden they can be for a small business. I keep seeing Facebook posts about people who refuse to use cash and then have issues with their cards. And I understand the debit card convenience - I use it myself quite a bit. The problem with cash is that it gets spent. (Always get a receipt!)

Last year at Second String Music, we paid a staggering $4,700 in credit card fees. We are charged a percentage for each total and a .25 cent fee per swipe. Sheryl just did the math this morning and we are both in shock.

It isn't $4,700 in our pocket. That is a Fender amplifier order! Sheryl and I will make deals on instruments, but it's kind of tough to have sales and slash prices when the cost of simply swiping a credit card is so financially burdensome.

So, we are encouraging people to use cash, and our guitar students are always allowed to pay with checks. Our prices have always been internet-friendly and competitive. We are just going to work on keeping credit card fees out of the hands of credit card processors. It can be done!

It just makes you wonder how anybody, especially the small retail store, stays in business. I guess our new years resolutions are to be more mindful of how we pay and how that affects the place we are paying.

Edit: We have the lowest rates possible thru First Data. We don't pay machine fees, charge-back fees, AMEX fees, machine rental fees or anything extra. So it really is a VERY tiny percentage of our overall sales but in total for the year is a very intimidating number. These are the fees that a small business pays when we have gotten into the lowest rate anywhere and own our in store equipment. We also have to file a PCI plan every year to make sure they don't charge us $9.99 a month for a PCI security waiver. Geesh, they do nickel and dime everyone to death.

Monday, January 8, 2018

MOTHER NATURE GIVETH, and taketh away. The ice was glorious in Q-Town on Saturday - there was a big hockey game out by Twin Oaks, but I didn't get a chance to check it out. I did, however, get to skate on the Niemann horse farm pond, and then go on a grand adventure down Curtis Creek with two of the outdoors-loving Niemann brothers.

Ferd Niemann called me Friday night and said the ice on the farm pond was perfect. He wasn't kidding. It felt great Saturday morning tooling around the ice, but it was probably five years ago since the last time and the rust was still on the wheels, er skates.

Geesh. Ten years ago I was chasing around the young guys on that pond and I felt like I could sort of keep up. Not any more. Half an hour of churning around and that was it - I may be older, but at least now I listen when my back and legs say, "Hey Hoser - STOP."

Drew and Paul get ready for a grand Curtis Creek skate.

Paul Niemann was at the farm and invited me back in the afternoon to skate on Curtis Creek. We were joined by his brother, Drew, and it was one of the coolest things I've done in Quincy.

We started by the Curved Creek bridge on 24th Street and headed west. The creek slowly winds north, and it passes by all houses south of Cherry Lane. There were long stretches of good ice, but the day-long sun softened a lot of the ice and our blades would sink an inch or two into the crust. Fortunately there were no major thin spots and the ice was solid most of the way.

Making the trek tricky were stretches of exposed rock, where the creek dried up. Drew and Paul said the lack of rain the past few summers has sent the creek level down, so we had to be careful picking our way through a few areas. It kind of reminds you of a lunar landscape, and while it was easy to admire the views, we had to be careful with each stride to not hit a rock or break through the ice where we could see running water.

Drew and I got to about 13th Street and we could see the old Richmiller house and where 12th Street goes south of Cherry Lane. This was about 45 minutes into the adventure, and by then Paul was way ahead of us - he ended up in South Park picking up icicles from the waterfall.

So we turned around and leisurely headed back. The world in white is a beautiful thing and the air was still, and we actually got warmed up and felt great. Paul, of course, caught back up to us by the time we got back to the farm.

The horses greeted us as we strolled back up the hill to the barn and the pond. I briefly thought about taking another spin, but again, the spring chicken in me has long gone. Pain pills (used in moderation) have helped, and it will only take me a week to recover. GUH.

Thank you, Niemann family, for letting this poor Canadian once again relive his childhood and feel the cold air in his face, and hear his dull skate blades try to dig into the ice. I'm sad we didn't get a chance to play hockey Sunday - the icy rain screwed those plans up, and it was one of the rare days where the car stayed in the garage and we went nowhere - even the dogs had to do with walks around the block.

Now we are hitting 50 degrees and the ice will be gone. Maybe we'll get another cold snap, but probably not. Still, I'll keep the skates handy and you never know if we'll get another chance to zip around the ice.

Friday, January 5, 2018

SHERYL AND I are fortunate to have Steve Rees as a part-time employee at Second String Music. In addition to playing every instrument known to man, Steve can fix almost everything with strings, and he’s a little bit twisted with his humor. That means he fits right in around here.

Steve only works a few hours a week. Sometimes I wish we could hire more employees and get away from the store more. I get to disappear on Macker adventures a few times a year, but Sheryl is pretty much here every day and all day, except Sundays.

Steve's Christmas card from 2 years ago. Goof.

Having Steve means having a tiny bit of freedom. If we do need to bail for a few days, he can cover the store. And it’s great to have an employee you can trust - he restrings and works on my own personal guitars. When we get a particularly challenging project to work on, Steve tackles it with gusto and doesn’t get discouraged, and he’ll go the extra step to get the job done right. Steve also tells me the ice by his house on the Quincy bay is pretty good right now, so I’m inviting myself over this weekend to try it out.

We trust Steve, and he trusts I won’t trip and break my neck on the ice. I think.

You are only as good as your reputation in a small business. Second String Music is our life, who we are. You can’t have just anybody help out, even if it’s for a few hours a week. We have trust and faith in Steve, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Ask any of the other small businesses in downtown Quincy, and they will tell you the same thing - good help is a blessing, and you can’t survive without it.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

IT HAS BEEN a few years since I’ve been ice skating. The winters in Quincy are hit and miss and the window for clean ice is small. The last few winters it hasn’t gotten cold enough at all to form decent ice.

Now it’s been really cold and there are opportunities. This weekend, if I can find my skates, and if they aren’t too dull, I’ll try to get out.

There were some guys on the south end of town who had epic pickup games on a large pond. Not sure if they are still around. South Park usually has good ice, and there are hidden stretches of Curtis Creek perfect for skating.

Our friend and Second String Music legend Steve Rees lives on the Quincy Bay and sent me a picture the other day of the ice. Apparently it’s in really good shape. A look at this weekend’s forecast shows tomorrow and Saturday would be good days. Then it’s supposed to ice up and rain Sunday. Ugh...

With a start I’ve just realized the last time I really had a good skate was about 8 years ago. Back then I looked forward to lacing up the skates and zipping around the pond, feeling the cold wind in my face and reliving my younger years.

Now I’m hoping I can get around a lap or two without having a heart attack or falling flat on my out of shape carcass. If I fall through the ice I will at least die happy.

Either way, I’m bound and determined to get back on the blades. If it’s gonna be cold, embrace it!

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

WE GO THROUGH a lot of cardboard here at Second String Music. So do you. All that stuff you ordered from Amazon doesn’t arrive via the transporter beam. It comes in cardboard, and we need to do better to recycle.

This is a huge issue after Christmas. In Quincy, we are fortunate to have recycle pickup. It’s been brutally cold and the Central Services crews picking up the recycling and the trash the past few days have my respect.

One of the ways we can help is to recycle the right way. Make sure all those cardboard boxes are empty of packing materials. I’m guilty of this as I make recycle runs to Sixth and State several times a week. I vow to do better. Here’s a good story about why it’s important.

The fact Quincy Recycle is less than a mile from our business is a good thing. Yet you often take your life into your hands going in and out of there. It’s in a residential neighborhood, the entrance and exit isn’t that big, and the huge semi trucks often clog traffic on a busy Sixth Street. However, the owners have put a ton of money into the facility and it’s something we need in town, so I’m willing to deal with the First World problems.

Recycle your stuff, Q-Town. Get rid of the throw-away mentality and do what’s right (and stop with all the online shopping, please). We are only here for a short time, and it would be a good idea to leave our planet in better shape than we arrived.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

SHERYL AND I celebrated the new year by passing out two hours before the ball dropped, spending most of Monday on our respective couches, and going to the new Star Wars movie. Here's a recap of the film, and there are more spoilers than that 6-month-old jug of milk buried in the back of your fridge, so read on at your own risk if you are one of two people in this country who hasn't seen it yet.

The theater was pretty empty and really loud. It's run by AMC, which stands for Audibly Mashing Crashing, because the volume shook the seats. Fortunately, the 20 minutes of previews got our ears used to the deafening sound. I don't remember a single preview and won't go watch a single one of the movies, but hey, my ears got used to the blaring sound so it was worth it.

The Last Jedi starts with an intense battle scene. The rebels try to bomb the bad guys. They destroy a really big gun (cleverly called "A Really Big Gun") but a lot of the good guys die. Princess Leia gets mad at the flyboy who led the raid. Then she gets knocked unconscious for about 45 minutes, which in movie time is three days. Or six hours, until the rebel fleet runs out of gas.

Meanwhile, Rey is visiting Luke Skywalker, who is living on a big rock island in rock huts (also known as a far away place in the galaxy called "Ireland"). Chewbacca is shamed into not eating cute creatures called Cute Creatures. Kylo Ren eventually turns on Supreme Leader Snoke, who was last seen as one of the aliens in Close Encounters of a Third Kind and did not age well. Then Kylo turns into a good guy, but quickly back into a bad guy, which means the World Wrestling Federation is recruiting him for the main event at this year's WrestleMania.

Finn tries to find a way to get onto the bad guy's ships. He goes gambling. He gets blown up a lot, but gets saved by his new friend .... his new friend .... crap. I forget her name. There's a lot of characters here, you know.

In the end, Luke Skywalker holograms his way into buying more time for his rebel friends. Then, predictably, he dies or does he? Not like the last movie, where everybody dies, but still, it's a sad time and now who is going to take care of his big rock home? The really cute creatures?

Also, the Heineken beer guy turns on Finn and gets away with a huge shipment of beer from the First Order, or the Empire, or whatever the bad guys are called now.

At the end of a movie, we are introduced to a little boy who is wearing a Spider Man code encryption ring, which means he has The Force. Right.

I like the movie. I'm a big Star Wars fan. I'm still upset Han Solo was killed several movies ago, but I'll get over it. And now Carrie Fisher is dead, so there is no way Princess Leia will be around for next year's movie. Right? "Nobody really dies in Star Wars," Sheryl said. That's true, because Yoda makes an appearance in this movie, too.

Then again, where was Lando Calrissian?

There's a lot of stuff to keep track of, and it's a long movie, but it was entertaining and I highly recommend you go see it. Again. And Again. Hey, over Christmas the original movies were on and I got sucked into watching them.